Device for guiding instruction sheets

ABSTRACT

A cardboard box making maching has a product conveyor system, a brochure device, and a conveyor chain for taking over package inserts from the brochure device. The conveyor chain is capable of going around curves, so that the conveyor chain is guided laterally out of the plane of the product conveyor system directly to a transfer point disposed above and obliquely to the product conveyor system. The carboard box making machine, because of the conveyor chain, has fewer transfer points for the package inserts and therefore functions especially operationally reliably at relatively little effort and expense for equipment.

PRIOR ART

The invention relates to an apparatus for delivering package insertsfrom a brochure device to a product conveyor system, as genericallydefined by the preamble to claim 1.

In a known apparatus of this type, the package inserts are withdrawnfrom a brochure device by means of two opposed extracting belts anddelivered to an endless conveyor chain that has tongs and is disposedparallel to a product conveyor system. Since the extraction of thepackage inserts from the brochure device is done from a position that isobliquely above the conveyor chain, the package inserts are conveyed bythe two extracting belts, between whose runs the package inserts arelocated, obliquely downward from above. A disadvantage of this is thatthe package inserts must be transferred at two points from one device toa second device. First, the package inserts are transferred from thebrochure device to the two extracting belts, and second, they aretransferred from the two extracting belts between the tongs of theconveyor chain. Since each transfer of package inserts from one deviceto another is critical in terms of process reliability, disruptions inoperation can occur in the previously known apparatus.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus of the invention for delivering package inserts from abrochure device to a product conveyor system that has the definitivecharacteristics of claim 1 has the advantage over the prior art thatbecause of the reduction in the number of transfer points for thepackage inserts functions especially operationally reliably. At the sametime, it requires relatively little effort and expense for equipment.According to the invention, this is attained essentially by a conveyorchain capable of going around curves, on which chain the gripperelements for the package inserts are disposed; the conveyor chain makesit possible to convey the package inserts completely from where thepackage inserts are taken over from the brochure device to where thepackage inserts are put together with the products located in theproduct conveyor system.

Advantageous refinements of the apparatus according to the invention fordelivering package inserts from a brochure device to a product conveyorsystem are disclosed in the dependent claims. In a preferred embodimentof the invention, the gripper elements are disposed at an angle to thetabs of the conveyor chain. As a result, with a three-dimensionallyguide conveyor chain, it is possible for the package inserts to beremoved from the brochure device, as is customary, in the perpendiculardirection. As a result, no changes whatever must be made in the brochuredevice, which is a part that has to be additionally purchased. Moreover,given parallel conveyance of the package inserts to the product conveyorsystem, this makes a position of the package insert possible in whichthe portion of the package insert located above the conveyor chain canreliably pass between the walls of the buckets typically used in such aproduct conveyor system.

DRAWING

One exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing andwill be described in further detail below. Shown are:

FIG. 1, part of a cardboard box making machine, with the apparatusaccording to the invention for delivering package inserts, in asimplified perspective view; and

FIG. 2, part of the apparatus of the invention, again in a simplifiedperspective view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, part of a cardboard box making machine 10 is shown. Thecardboard box making machine 10 serves to thrust a product to bepackaged, together with brochures or package inserts 1, into openedfolding boxes, not shown, and then closing the boxes. The insertion ofthe product and the package inserts 1 takes place in a region 5 of thecardboard box making machine 10 in which, however, so-called insertersand buckets for the product to be packaged are not shown, for the sakeof simplicity.

The cardboard box making machine 10 has a machine frame 11, in which aproduct conveyor system 13 that serves to convey the product to bepackaged is disposed along the conveying direction 12 for the product.The product conveyor system 13 is in particular a so-called bucketchain, which has partitions at uniform intervals from one another,between which the particular product is located. Such a product conveyorsystem 13 or bucket chain is well known and is therefore not shown indetail in FIG. 1. A brochure device 15 is disposed in the upper regionof the frame 11 of the cardboard box making machine 10. In the brochuredevice 15, in a magazine 16, the flat blanks of the brochures or packageinserts 1 are kept on hand; the package inserts 1 are then graduallywithdrawn from the magazine 16, folded, and then transferred to aconveyor system for the package inserts 1. The brochure device 15 asdescribed thus far is likewise known per se.

What is essential to the invention is the conveyor system for thepackage inserts 1, which takes over the package inserts 1 from thebrochure device 15 and puts them together with the product to bepackaged, which will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2. Theconveyor system for the package inserts 1 is embodied as a conveyorchain 18, which on the side remote from the product conveyor system 13has brochure tongs 19 disposed at uniform intervals from one another.The conveyor chain 18 has a conveyor segment 21 in which the conveyorchain 18 is spaced apart from and parallel to the product conveyorsystem 13; the spacing between the brochure tongs 19 is equivalent tothe spacing between the buckets for the product.

To enable a takeover of the package inserts 1 from the brochure device15 into the conveyor chain 18, the conveyor chain 18 is embodied in aspecial way. In this respect it will be noted in advance that thetransfer point 22 from the brochure device 15 to a conveyor chain 18 isdisposed above and laterally offset from the conveyor segment 21 of theconveyor chain 18.

The conveyor chain 18 is embodied as a so-called side-curve chain; thatis, transversely to the longitudinal extent of its chain links 23, itcan be deformed by a certain angle. This deformability is exploitedaccording to the invention in order to move the conveyor chain 18 of thevertical plane of the conveyor segment 21, near the brochure device 15,to the transfer point 22, which is disposed vertically and laterallyoffset. To that end, the conveyor chain 18 is guided in a guide plate25, which has a guide groove 26 for the conveyor chain 18. The guideplate 25 is disposed on the frame 27 of the product conveyor system 13at an oblique angle, so as to make the requisite offset possible betweenthe plane of the conveyor segment 21 and the transfer point 22. Theconveyor chain 18 is moreover guided upward and back again in an arcaway from the level of the conveyor segment 21 as far as the transferpoint 22.

The drive of the conveyor chain 18, which is effected synchronously withthe drive of the product conveyor system 13, takes place in the regionof the horizontal conveyor segment 21 by means of an engagement of theconveyor chain 18 with the product conveyor system 13, for instance bymeans of a so-called lantern pinion toothing in a sprocket wheel 29.

The brochure tongs 18, and their base plates 28, secured to the conveyorchain 18 are disposed obliquely to the vertical and to the longitudinalextent of the chain links 23 by an angle α, such that the portion 2 ofthe package insert 1 extending below the conveyor chain 18 is orientedtoward the product conveyor system 13 in the conveyor segment 21, andthe opposite portion 3 of the package insert 1, because of its creasing,protrudes obliquely upward, so that upon takeover in the region 5 it canprotrude into a product bucket. The angle α for this purpose amounts toapproximately 25 to 40°, and in the exemplary embodiment 28°.

1-5. (canceled)
 6. An apparatus (10) for delivering package inserts (1)from a brochure device (15) to a product conveyor system (13), theapparatus comprising; an endless conveyor chain (18) on which gripperelements (19), each for one package insert (1), are disposed at uniformintervals, the conveyor chain (18) extending parallel to and over partof the conveyor path of the product conveyor system (13), drive meansdriving the endless conveyor chain (18) synchronously with the productconveyor system (13), dispensing means furnishing the package inserts(1) from the brochure device (15) to a takeover point (22) located aboveand laterally offset from the product conveyor system (13), the conveyorchain (18) being capable of lateral deflection to go around curves,deflection means pivoting the conveyor chain (18) out of the plane nearthe conveyor path of the product conveyor system (13) in the directionof the takeover point (22); and means guiding the conveyor chain (18) isguided up to the takeover point (22) via a portion that extends from thelevel of the product conveyor system (13) to the level of the takeoverpoint (22).
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the guidance of theconveyor chain (18) in the region below the brochure device (15) iseffected in a guide plate (25) having a guide groove (26).
 8. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the fastening plane for the package inserton the gripper element (19), when the conveyor chain (18) is guidedparallel to the product conveyor system (13), relative to the chainlinks (23) is disposed at an angle (a) such that a portion (2) of thepackage insert (1) disposed below the gripper element (19) extendsparallel to the conveyor chain (18) and protrudes in the direction ofthe product conveyor system (13).
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, whereinthe fastening plane for the package insert on the gripper element (19),when the conveyor chain (18) is guided parallel to the product conveyorsystem (13), relative to the chain links (23) is disposed at an angle(α) such that a portion (2) of the package insert (1) disposed below thegripper element (19) extends parallel to the conveyor chain (18) andprotrudes in the direction of the product conveyor system (13).
 10. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the angle (α) in the range of about 20° toabout 40°.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the angle (α) in therange of about 20° to about 40°.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, whereinthe angle (α) is approximately 28°.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein the angle (α) is approximately 28°.
 14. The apparatus of claim6, wherein the drive of the conveyor chain (18) is effected by means ofmechanical engagement with the product conveyor system (13) in theregion of the conveyor path segment (21) that is parallel to theconveyor chain (18).
 15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the drive ofthe conveyor chain (18) is effected by means of mechanical engagementwith the product conveyor system (13) in the region of the conveyor pathsegment (21) that is parallel to the conveyor chain (18).
 16. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the drive of the conveyor chain (18) iseffected by means of mechanical engagement with the product conveyorsystem (13) in the region of the conveyor path segment (21) that isparallel to the conveyor chain (18).
 17. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein the drive of the conveyor chain (18) is effected by means ofmechanical engagement with the product conveyor system (13) in theregion of the conveyor path segment (21) that is parallel to theconveyor chain (18).
 18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the drive ofthe conveyor chain (18) is effected by means of mechanical engagementwith the product conveyor system (13) in the region of the conveyor pathsegment (21) that is parallel to the conveyor chain (18).
 19. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the drive of the conveyor chain (18) iseffected by means of mechanical engagement with the product conveyorsystem (13) in the region of the conveyor path segment (21) that isparallel to the conveyor chain (18).
 20. The apparatus of claim 12,wherein the drive of the conveyor chain (18) is effected by means ofmechanical engagement with the product conveyor system (13) in theregion of the conveyor path segment (21) that is parallel to theconveyor chain (18).